KIGALI - More international oil and gas companies have expressed interest in building capacity and taking part in exploring for methane gas in Rwanda, a government official has said.

According to Yussuf Uwamahoro, the energy sector coordinator in the Ministry of Infrastructure, the companies also have keen interest in carrying out marine technology in Lake Kivu.

Uwamahoro, who is attending the 5th East African Petroleum Conference in Kampala, listed some of the interested companies as; Petroleum Development Consultants Ltd (PDC), Geosoft, and Southern Engineering Co Ltd (SECO).

“All these are companies with a lot of experience. They have the desire to come and invest in designing and construction of marine structures on Lake Kivu,” he said.The official revealed that the government is expecting experts at the end of this month to carry out a review of the draft Oil Exploration Policy and Act.

The draft Act will, thereafter, be presented to various stakeholders and finally to cabinet.

Existing companies like VANOIL operate under the Technical Evaluation Agreement (TEA) which acts in place of the exploration permit.

Uwamahoro said that VANOIL would, in two weeks, submit a report of the study conducted on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) which will later lead to the 2D seismic survey for oil exploration.